New Milford’s Tony Morrissey Talks Cody’s Law + CT Opioid Crisis
The opioid crisis has reached an epidemic level in Connecticut, as well as in Greater Danbury. One New Milford family is not sitting by idle, they are taking action.
Here are some staggering statistics on the opioid crisis: In 2018 alone, there were 1,017 overdose deaths involving opioids in Connecticut, which is twofold higher than the national rate, and believe it or not, the number is expected to rise even more this year.
Tony Morrissey and his family in New Milford lost their son Brian in August of 2019. Brian left behind a 2-year-old daughter, Aubree, and a Fiancé, Makayla, who was carrying their second child. Their daughter, was born on September 18th, 2019, just a month after Brian's death.
I had known Tony for almost 20 years, but hadn't been in touch for a while. Back in November, when I was scrolling through social media, I saw a video from the Keith Urban's opioid benefit concert at Mohegan Sun Arena. Keith had given his guitar to one of Tony's daughters, so I got in touch with him and did a story on it, "Keith Urban Gives New Milford Girl Signed Guitar at Connecticut Show" That led to getting him in the studio during the Morning Show to share his story.
Since Brian's passing, the Morrissey family has been very active with the opioid epidemic. They have begun volunteering locally through New Milford CAN, partnering with the New Milford PD on the roll out of new OD mapping software, and have been involved with the Cares Group. They have also met with the CT Attorney General, but most importantly, they are in the process of introducing new legislation with Brian Cody’s Law.
Here's the on-air interview with our sister station: